An altercation between three to five males at the Moreno Valley Mall led to gunshots fired and a lockdown of the mall that lasted about two hours Thursday afternoon, Feb. 8, a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

As a helicopter circled overhead, deputies swarmed the mall about noon after receiving a report of gunfire there. No injuries were reported.

Investigators are looking into how many shots were fired and they have gathered some evidence, sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Mike Vasquez wrote in an email.

As of early evening, no one was in custody and no suspect description had been released.

The lockdown, lifted at about 2 p.m., meant movement of anyone in the mall was restricted, and was in place so deputies could conduct a systematic search of the property, Vasquez wrote.

The mall is just south of and visible from the 60 Freeway, between Day and Frederick streets. The mall is almost 26 years old with anchor stores including Macy’s, JCPenney, Sears and Harkins Theatres.

Soon after the incident was reported, the Sheriff’s Department said via Twitter that there was no active shooter and that no victims had been located.

Karla Capistran, who works in the food court on the upper level of the mall, said she heard two shots downstairs. Soon after the shots were fired, witnesses said mallgoers panicked.

Several mall employees who did not want to be identified said a fight broke out between at least three young men between the ages of 16 and 20 near the Kay Jewelers and Victoria’s Secret stores on the lower level in the northern portion of the mall. They said someone then pulled out a gun and fired.

Most customers and several of the employees who evacuated during the lockdown left; others stayed and returned to either work or shop.

Staff writer Brian Rokos contributed to this story.

Deputies monitor the lower level of the Moreno Valley Mall, where a report of gunshots was reported about noon Thursday, Feb. 8. Photo by Beatriz E. Valenzuela, Staff

A deputy monitors one of the entrances of the Moreno Valley Mall, where a report of gunshots was reported about noon Thursday, Feb. 8. Photo by Beatriz E. Valenzuela, Staff

Beatriz E. Valenzuela is an award-winning journalist who’s covered breaking news in Southern California since 2006 and has been on the front lines of several national and international news events. She’s worked for media outlets serving Southern California readers covering education, local government, entertainment and all things nerd including comic book culture and video games. She’s an amateur obstacle course racer, constant fact-checker, mother of three and lover of all things adorable.

Gail Wesson has covered news for The Press-Enterprise for decades, mostly in Riverside County, with occasional forays across the county line. Datelines on her stories span the county – from the state agricultural inspection station in Blythe, to the Circle in Corona, the Stringfellow Acid Pits in Mira Loma, Temecula before there were traffic signals and to the highest point in the county, Mount San Jacinto. Most of her time has been spent covering local governments or how county, state or federal government affects communities. Breaking news, from floods to wild land fires and the consequences of disasters, watchdog reporting, criminal courts coverage and environmental explainers on water rights/supply issues and why bald eagles and San Bernardino kangaroo rats should be saved are icing on her news cake.

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